Brick-kiln



(No Model.)

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H. J. FLOOD' 6 Sheets-@Sheet 2.

('N'o Model.)

BRICK KILN.

No. 566,157. Patented Aug. 18,' 1896.

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(No Model.)

No. 566,157. Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

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" H. J. FLOOD.

BRICK KI'LN.

No. 566,157; Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

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H. J. FLOOD. BRICK KILN. No. 566,157.l Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

WHA/581mg imam/2 oz? UNiTED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY J. FLOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRICK-KILN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,157, dated August 18, 1896.

Application filed March 24, 1892. Serial No. 426,274. (No model.) 4

To @ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY J.FLooD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Brick-Kilns; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This my invention relates to kilns for burning bricks and other articles of clay of that class embracing generally a kiln-chamberhaving a perforated or apertured floor on which the bricks or, other articles to be burned are placed, one or more furnaces in which the fires are made by which the bricks are burned, said furnaces communicating with the interior of the kiln-chamber by meansrof vertical flues opening into the upper part of the chamber,

other furnaces for drying off the green bricks communicating with the space beneath said perforated iioor of the kiln-chamber,and exitopenings in the top of the chamber for the escape of water-smoke and vapor.

The object of the invention is to provide a construction in kilns of the character above referred to by which the green bricks may be dried by heated air supplied to the space between the perforated floor and passing upwardly through the kiln-chamber and whereby the distribution of heat to the different parts of the kiln-chamber may be rendered uniform and to improve the construction` and operation of brick-kilns of the character described in other respects, as will hereinafter appear.

My invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichv Figure-1 is a side elevation of a portion of a brick-kiln embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the kiln, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sect-ion of the kiln, the direction of view being downward upon the bottom of the kiln, and portions of said kiln-bottom being broken awayor removed. Fig. 4 is also a horizontal section of the kiln, the direction of view being likewise downward, and the tunnels being shown which conduct waste heat from one kiln-chamber to the stack-tunnel or to another kiln-chamber for elfeoting or aiding the drying-od operation in the latter. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1 and extending through one of the burning-furnace arches. Fig. 6 is a plan View of a plant or series of pairs of kilns constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention.

As shown in said drawings, A designates a kiln or burning-chamber embodying my invention, of which in Fig. 6 of the drawings three are shown as employed in connection with a single stack-tunnel E, which communicates withthe several kilns and is provided with a plurality of smoke-stacks F F, one for each of the kilns. The separate kilns in Fig. 6 are designated by numbers l, 2, and 3, the kiln Amarked No. 3 being placed between those marked l and 2. rIhe several kilns shown in said Fig. 6 are alike and are similar to the kiln which is illustrated in detail in Figs. l to 5, inclusive.

' To now refer more particularly to'the construction ofthe kiln A, the same is constructed as follows:

Said kiln is made generally of rectangular form, provided with vertical walls and an arched top, as common in similar structures. The kiln illustrated is shown as made of considerably greater length than width and arranged with its long or side walls at right angles with the stack-tunnel E, which passes centrally beneath the kiln.

The interior space of the kiln or kiln-chamber in which the brick to be burned are placed is provided with a perforated or apertured floor '0, formed by means of fire-brick, which are either perforated or laid in open courses to permit the passage of heated air and products of combustion through the floor.. The brick constituting the perforated floor are shown as laid upon parallel walls or stringers o o o', which are placed at suitable distances apart. As herein shown, the stringers o o o are arranged parallel with the longer or side IOC) 2 seais? walls of the kiln and ext-end continuously from one end to the other of the kiln-chamber. Said stringers, furthermore, are perforated, being preferably formed by brick laid in open courses to permit the passage of heated air vand products of combustionfreely through them. The said stringers rest or are supported upon a lower horizontal surface or floor located above the level of the stack-tunnel E and beneath which extends a plurality of branch tunnels B B B, which are arranged at right angles to the stack-tunnel or parallel with the side Walls of the kiln and are disposed at equal intervals across the width of the kiln. These tunnels B B B communicate with the space beneath the perforated floor of the kiln-chamber in the manner hereinafter more fully described.

The kiln is provided at its side walls with two sets of furnaces, of which H H H are drying-off furnaces and K K K are the burningfurnaceshthese furnaces being located at intermediate points along the side walls of the kiln and preferably being arranged in pairs at opposite sides of the kiln.

The stringers o are provided with openings or arches disposed in line with each other across the kiln-chamber so as to form transverse flues or passages I, located below the iioor o, and which are in alinement and communicate at their ends with the drying-off furnaces H H, which are also located below the level of the said floor. Said furnaces are provided with suitable doors and are employed to produce the heat for drying off the green bricks, as hereinafter explained. At points intermediate between the flues or passages I are located parallel transverse tight walls or partitions I', which reach from the main or lower floor of the chamber to the perforated iioor thereof. The said passages I extend over the tunnels B, which are located beneath the said main or lower iioor of the chamber and communicate with s aid tunnels by means of a plurality of draft-openings C, formed in the tops of said tunnels. These draft-openings communicate with the several tunnels, which latter are located at practically uniform distances apart across the width of the kiln-chamber, so that 'the draft-openings are similarly located at intervals across the full width of the said chamber. Sliding covers D are provided for closing the several draftopenings, access to said slide-covers being afforded through the said passages I and the drying-off arches or furnaces H by means of a bar or drawing-iron.

The burning-furnaces or re-arches K are provided with suitable doors N and communicate through an eye or channel M with a vertical flue L or fire-bag, these flues L being located within the kiln-chamber and opening at their upper ends at the upper part thereof.

In the crown of each kiln-chamber are formed a number of openings OQ which are left open during the operation of the dryingoff furnaces and which are closed during the operation of the burning-furnaces, as hereinafter explained.

In operating the kiln constructed as above described the kiln-chambers are charged with green brick, as usual, and fires are lighted in the drying-off furnaces H, the draft-openings C at such time being closed by the slide-covers D, while the crown-openings O are left open. The drying-off heat, which is of a low or gentle character, flows inward through the upper passages i and thence upward through the perforated floor into the burning-chambers or kilns proper. This heat rises uniformly through the masses of green brick and thus removes the moisture from said brick. The vapors or water-smoke produced issues at the top of the kiln through the crown-openings O'. It is to be understood that the object of this preliminary drying of the green bricks is to avoid distortion, which would result if the bricks were subjected to full burning heat when surcharged with moisture. After the drying off has been accomplished the iires are drawn from the drying-off arches or furnaces H, the doors of the latter are sealed, the crown-openings O' are closed, the slide covers or dampers D are opened, and lires then lighted in the main burning-furnaces K. The burning heat passes from the furnaces through the eyes M and vertical flues L into the upper parts of the kiln-chamber. The burning heat passes thence downward through the mass of brick and through the perforated iioor into the space beneath the same and thence through the several openings C into the channels B to the stack-tunnel E. From the stack-tunnel E the vapors and products of combustion enter the stack F and escape from said stack.

In the operation of burning the uniform distribution or arrangement of openings C across the bottom of the kiln-chamber, in connection with the sliding covers thereof, is of great importance, because such uniform arrangement tends to insure perfect uniformity in distribution of the heated products of combustion as they pass downwardly through the masses of bricks and the perforated iioor.

For the purpose of utilizing the wasted heat IOO IIO

from the kiln-chambers in which the bricks have been burned and are cooling off for the purpose of drying a fresh charge of green bricks in another kiln-chamber the several draft connections and tunnels described are used as follows:

The slide covers or dampers D of the chamber or kiln which is cooling off are open,and the corresponding slide-covers of the kiln which is to be dried off are also opened. The wasted heat from the cooling-kiln is thus free to iow through the openings C from one kiln into the tunnels B and stack-tunnel E to the Openings C and channels I of the second kiln, the escape of air to the stack from the stack-tunnel at such time being prevented by the closing of the dampers G and G. The heated air after passing through the green bricks of the second kiln makes its exit through the crownopenings O of the latter, which is at such times left open. If found necessary or desirable,iires may be made in the drying-off arch es of the second kiln containing green bricks, the waste heat from the cooling-kiln at such time mingling with the heat from the drying- 'off arches and serving to supplement the latter in doing the work of drying.

An important advantage is gained by the construction described, by which the lower tunnels B are arranged below the tunnels or passages I and are disposed at intervals across the width of the kiln-chamber and communicate with the said passages I by separate valved openings, for the reason that this construction affords uniformv distribution of the burning heat throughout the kiln, which wouldrnot be obtained in case the main iiue or tunnel were arranged to communicate with the transverse passages at one end or at one point only. Moreover, such equal distribution of the burning heat throughout the mass of brick is greatly facilitated by the employment of the imperforated transverse partitions between the passages I, which insures the equal distribution of the burning heat throughout the entire length of the kiln-chamber, or, in other words, insures the localization of the burning heat from each of the furnaces K at the two adjacent sections of the kilnchamber with consequent uniformity in the quantity of heat supplied and in the burned product.

I claiml. A brick-burning apparatus or plant,comprising a kiln-chamber having valved exitopenings in its top and a perforated floor,burn ing-furnaces provided with flues which open into the upper part of the kiln-chamber, drying-off furnaces at the side of the kiln-chamber below the level of the floor, parallel perforated walls or stringers supporting said floor, said walls or stringers being provided with openings or arches in alinement with each other forming transverse passages extending between opposite walls of the kilnchamber in alinement with the drying-o furnaces and communicating at their ends with the same, a plurality of tunnels located beneath said passages and provided with openings which lead into said passages and which are disposed at intervals across the bbttom of the kiln-chamber, movable slide-covers for said openings and a stack communicating with said tunnels, substantially as described.

2. A brick-burnin g apparatus or plant,com prisin g a kiln-chamber having valved exitopenings in its top and a perforated floor,burn

ing-furnaces provided with iiues which open into the upper part of the kiln-chamber, drying-off furnaces at the side of the kiln-chamber below the level of the floor, parallel perforated walls or stringers supporting said floor, said walls or stringers being provided With openings or arches in alinement with each other forming transverse passages extending between opposite walls of the kilnchamberin alinement with the drying-o furnaces and communicating at their ends with the same, parallel closed walls or partitions extending across the kiln-chamber beneath the floor thereof at points between said passages, a plurality of tunnels located beneath said passages and provided with openings which lead into said passages and which are disposed at intervals across the bottom of the kiln-chamber, movable slide-covers for said openings and a stack communicating with said tunnels, substantially as described.

3. A brick-burningl apparatus or plant com-l prising a stack-tunnel, a plurality of smokestacks communicating with said tunnel, a plurality of kiln-chambers arranged to extend at opposite sides of the stack-tunnel and provided with open floors, tunnels located beneath the kiln-iioors and communicating upwardly with the interior of said kiln-chambers, other tunnels located beneath the firstnamed tunnels and communicating with the latter and also with the stack-tunnel, and dampers or slides interposed between the upper and lower tunnels and serving to permit or to exclude communication between said lower and upper tunnels, substantially as set forth. l

. 4. Abrick-burningapparatus orplant,comprising a stack-tunnel, a plurality of smokestacks, a number of kilns proper having open iioors and arranged to extend at opposite sides of the stack-tunnel and also provided with main burning-arches delivering their heat upwardly into the kilns, lower tunnels communicating with the stack --tunnel and located beneath the floors of the kilns, a number of upper tunnels also located beneath the iioors of the kilns, and communicating upwardly with the interiors of said kilns, and downwardly with the lower tunnels, and a number of drying-off furnaces located at the ends of the upper tunnels, substantially as set forth.

5. A brick-burnin g apparatus or plant,com prising a stack-tunnel, a number of burningchambers or kilns proper arranged to extend at opposite sides of the stack-tunnel, a number of lower tunnels communicating upwardly with the interiors of the burning-chambers and connected with the stack-tunnel, and a number of drying-olf furnaces arranged in oppositely-disposed pairs, a number of upper IOO IIO

tunnels each communicating at its end with pers in said tunnel and stacks, a number of burning-chambers 0r kilns proper arranged to extend at opposite sides of the stack-tunnel and provided with openings in their tops and also with vertical passages or flues at their sides, and furthermore with openings in their floors, a number of lower tunnels coinmunicating transversely with the stack-tunnel and extending beneath the kiln-iioors, a number of upper tunnels communicatin g with the lower tunnels and with the interiors of the kilns, a number of drying-off furnaces communicating with the ends of the upper tunnels, a number of slides or dampers interposedbetween the lower and upper tunnels and arranged to establish and exclude communication between said tunnels, and a numloer of burning-furnaces communicating with the Vertical lues of the kilns, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY J. FLOOD.

Vitnesses:

B. C. WHITE, J. M. RUMsEY. 

